The New York Yankees have named Mario Garza, a longtime member of their organization, as their new director of international scouting. The 44-year-old replaces Donny Rowland, whose contract expired in November without renewal. Garza enters his 16th season with the club, bringing extensive experience in player development and coaching.
On January 28, 2026, the New York Yankees announced the appointment of Mario Garza as director of international scouting, a role aimed at strengthening their international talent pipeline. Garza, 44, has spent the past 15 seasons with the organization in various capacities, most recently serving as director of baseball development from 2024-25 and coordinator of baseball development from 2020-23.
Prior to those positions, Garza was director of Latin American operations from 2017-19 and assistant director of international player development from 2015-16. He also managed short-season Single-A Staten Island in 2014 and made his managerial debut in 2013 with the GCL Yankees 2, leading them to a 36-24 record and first place in the Northeast Division. Garza began his Yankees tenure as a coach with Single-A Tampa from 2011-12. In 2021, he stepped in as an emergency first-base coach during a series against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
A former minor leaguer in the Houston Astros' system, Garza was drafted in the 25th round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. He played four seasons in Houston's minors from 2003-06, batting .253 with 41 home runs in 285 games, before concluding his playing career in 2007 with the independent Washington Wildthings.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman praised the hire, saying, “He’s a great evaluator of talent. He knows our systems. He already knows all the personnel that we want to have. You want evaluation, you want fire hoses connecting to performance science and analytics. That will give him a head start as we try to relaunch that department and move forward.”
Garza joins other recent promotions, including first-base coach Dan Fiorito and assistant hitting coach Jake Hirst. Despite a transition in leadership, the Yankees added international talent when the signing period opened on January 15, agreeing with Dominican shortstops Germayhoni Beltre and Abrahan Pichardo, Venezuelan catchers Kenneth Melendez, Poly Ojeda, and Cesar Lopez, plus right-hander Sebastian Rivas and outfielder Sebastian Pinto. With $5.44 million in international pool money—the lowest in the league after a $1 million penalty for signing Max Fried—the team has seven international signees on its Top 30 Prospects list, including right-hander Carlos Lagrange, New York's No. 2 prospect who may debut in the majors this season.
